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Disinformation

Disinformation is deliberately misleading or inaccurate information designed to deceive the public and undermine people’s ability to make informed decisions. Although forged documents, government propaganda, deceptive advertising and other forms of disinformation are not new, current information technologies make the creation and spread of disinformation possible on an unprecedented scale and with unprecedented impact.

Blog April 8, 2022

How private organizations and public institutions converge to create misinformation

A recent bombshell of a book about the corporate capture of Alberta’s energy regulator sheds light on how private organizations and public institutions sometimes converge into powerful networks that disseminate misinformation. The peer-reviewed book elucidates the inner workings of this phenomenon by developing an approach to analyzing institutional influence and dysfunction that can be used by investigative journalists, scholars, and anyone else opposed to abuses of state and corporate power.  
Blog May 6, 2020

Making it illegal will not stop the spread of misinformation

As we have seen in recent elections and in the present pandemic, misinformation can do real harm.  But the Canadian government’s plan to consider legislation to criminalize the spreading of misinformation is the wrong response. Criminalization will not stop misinformation. In fact, it often draws more attention to it, as well as undermines civil liberties and human rights essential in a democratic society. 
Blog March 25, 2020

Freedom of Expression, Misinformation, and Anti-Vaxxers: The Right Thing to Do Is Not Obvious

As a parent of a small child, I’ve been to immunization clinics quite a bit over the past two years. During every visit, I’m curious to ask the public health nurses about the giant elephant in the room, at least as someone who researches freedom of expression issues: How do you satisfy your public health mandate at a time when vaccine skepticism or hesitancy seems to be on the rise? 
Blog May 11, 2018

Disinformation by Quantification

We are seeing a rapid expansion of the use of metrics (quantitative methods) for assessing performance and directing behaviour of states and public institutions. This is not a new idea but one that has many adverse effects. Use of metrics can (1) encroach on matters (such as human values[1]) not properly assessable by quantitative means, and can (2) be misused even in traditionally quantitative matters (such as accounting fraud).
Blog January 29, 2018

Facilitated Disinformation

Disinformation can be facilitated by government regulatory structures—leading to deception and betrayals of trust, regardless of the structures’ original purpose. Significant regulatory failures in health and environmental areas are discussed here. A subsequent post will discuss broader influences contributing to the failures and how to overcome such problems.
Blog September 8, 2017

Mein Trumpf: From the New Deal to The Art of the Deal, and On to the Abyss?

In the final days of 2016, the small island nation of Cuba mourned the passing of a political giant. Meanwhile, next door, superpower America nervously welcomed as the latest occupant of its highest office a gigantic bigot. To be sure, Fidel Castro’s passing was not mourned but celebrated in Little Havana in Miami, while Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton was lamented by most of the Americans who voted in their federal election.